osaka Articles

Things to Do, Travel Tips, & Advice

After the earthquake triggered the tsunami and the tsunami sparked the nuclear meltdown, the world looked towards Japan - long an economic overachiever and regional powerhouse - with concern and wondered what could be done to help. Disconcertingly, the reality was that those without prior experience containing radiation weren't in the position to do very much good at all.

As a traveler, Justin Gordon seems to have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The 24-year-old from Santa Monica, Calif. was not only in Japan when the deadly 9.0 earthquake and tsunami struck, but has also managed to be in other less devastating, but uncomfortable, travel circumstances.

We like winners. Whether it's the winning army of a war or the world's fastest 100 meter runner, we lavish attention and praise on the victors and relegate the losers to the dustbin of history. The same is true of travel - the most important travel cities like New York, London, Sydney and Tokyo are favored by visitors while lesser-known destinations like Salvador, Brazil or Melbourne, Australia are skipped, scratched from the itinerary or just plain ignored.